Open Farm Days popularity grows

Andrea Roberts
Times Intern

 

A record amount of 90 Albertan host farms and ranches have begun to prepare for the fourth annual Open Farms Days, to be held Aug. 20-21.
Open Farm Days organizers, including the Alberta government, Agriculture for Life and the Alberta Association of Agricultural Societies, held a media event at the Rocky R Guest Ranch on Aug. 2 to talk about what Open Farm Days are about.
“I think it is a beautiful story, the story we are telling about this province,” said Ricardo Miranda, Alberta’s minister of culture and tourism. “We are talking about agriculture, we are talking about the history and the narrative that ties this all together. When we are talking about open farm days we are talking about educating the people in the cities about what is happening in the rest of the province.”
For Miranda, Open Farm Days are a way for the people of Alberta to see how they are interconnected through issues such as food security and the understanding that someone must work the fields in which the food comes from.
Along with educating the public, who get to meet and question the farmers and ranchers who help produce their food, there is another upside for the hosts.
According to Luree Williamson, CEO of Agriculture for Life, Open Farm Days allows participating farmers and ranchers to showcase what they are growing and how they grow it, as well as the opportunity to sell and profile their goods.
“The agriculture and food awareness is what Open Farm Days is all about,” said Tim Parson, from the Alberta Association of Agricultural Societies. “It’s also about showcasing the entrepreneurship that is Alberta.”
For both Parson and Miranda, the event also offers the idea of a “staycation” for Albertans as they get to tour parts of the province they may have never seen before while meeting new people.
Parsons explained this is also a great way to help boost the economy as it will help the growing agricultural tourism trend in Canada.
Open Farm Days events have occurred in a number of other provinces across Canada, and having seen the success of these events, the organizers of the Alberta Open Farm Days decided to bring it to the province four years ago in the hopes of making it an annual event.
The two-day event also features some of Alberta’s top chefs using fresh ingredients from host farms to make unique culinary dishes. On Aug. 2, the host farms and ranchers will open their gates to the public where they will be able to enjoy what the farms have to offer. For more information on the event visit albertafarmdays.com.